PERILOUS PROFESSIONS


PERILOUS PROFESSIONS

A street vendor is offering mats with kaleidoscopic designs around the Gofa neighbourhood. The thousands of agile vendors scattered about the capital conduct their businesses, evading the watchful eye and whipping baton of the Code Enforcement Authority. As the Addis Abeba City Administration looks to either register and extract taxes from the network of informal businessmen or remove them from the streets, a daily cat-and-mouse spectacle unfolds in the capital. Estimates place the size of the urban informal employment sector at somewhere between 20 and 40pc, with the vast discrepancies partly stemming from a population census lagging for 17 years.


In-Picture

PIPE REFUGE

A man finds refuge from the impending rain within a weathered cement pipe. Ethiopia's refugee population exceeded one million last year, making it the second-largest host country in Africa, as it continues to open its borders to those seeking asylum and refuge. Meanwhile, at least 4.5 million locals were displaced in the country as of December 2023, due to conflict, violence, drought, and flooding. According to the UNOCHA report, immediate action is crucial to reduce people's vulnerability to pr...


In-Picture

LIFELINE LOCKDOWN

A temporary blood donation centre occupies the sidewalk around Debrezeit Road. Ethiopia faces a marked blood shortage, with only 43pc of the annual requirement of 100,000 units being donated. It has the lowest percentage of voluntary blood donors (VBDs) among the WHO's African member states (22pc), which is incredibly low, according to an article published on Biomed Research. This is primarily due to a low rate of voluntary blood donors (VBDs) and the prevalence of coerced or paid donations. Des...


In-Picture

TAXI TURMOIL

A queue of commuters waiting for a taxi amidst the city's ailing public transport system. A recent survey reveals widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of availability, affordability, comfort, and safety. Out of nearly 500 residents, over a third of them decried the lack of availability, a fifth fretted over affordability, and an equal number lamented the lack of comfort. Safety, too, emerged as a significant concern, with 22.5pc flagging it as a crucial issue...


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